For years, we’ve been promised that autonomous vehicles would one day become a part of our lives. Starting with the cartoons of Tex Avery in the 1950s to “Minority Report” in 2002, we’ve all been told that one day the cars we drive will drive themselves. And now, that’s starting to become a reality. Every year, we come closer to having cars that are completely autonomous.

Some people estimate that by 2040, approximately 25% of all vehicles will be autonomous. To commemorate this potential future, a holiday has been created called National Autonomous Vehicle Day. This holiday encourages all of us to look toward the future and to embrace the driverless cars that are now in our future. So, let’s all celebrate it on the 31st of May each year.

Facts About Autonomous Vehicles

We don’t know about everyone reading about this holiday, but we can certainly say that we’re excited about the autonomous vehicle advances that have been happening over the past few years and continue to advance at a pretty swift rate. That’s why we’ve decided to go ahead and list some of the facts about autonomous vehicles that we’ve learned so far.

2040 Is The Year To Watch

Most experts agree that 2040 is the year to watch for autonomous vehicles. That is when it’s estimated that there will be 33 million autonomous vehicles sold annually. That means that approximately 25-26% of all new vehicles sold after 2040 will be autonomous vehicles. Contrast that with the number of driverless cars sold in 2021—which was approximately 51,000 vehicles.

Driverless Cars Will Save Lives

It’s estimated that approximately 30,000 lives will be saved every year thanks to autonomous vehicles. Once driverless cars have become the only vehicles on the road, it’s estimated that vehicular fatalities will decrease by approximately 89-95%!

Observing National Autonomous Vehicle Day

Celebrating this holiday is as easy as learning more about the driverless car revolution and some of the vehicles that are currently being tested. As of December 2020, completely driverless cars have been tested in China, and there are several companies in the U.S. and Europe that are also testing out fully autonomous vehicles. People can also spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #NationalAutonomousVehicleDay on their social media accounts. Let everyone in on the autonomous vehicle revolution!